Or Golan wrote: > Why not simply display the email address as a simple > mailto only when the browser is a screen reader?
A screen reader attaches to a visual browser as an add-on thus it cannot be detected. It's a shame as that would solve some problems. Text browsers can be detected, but screen readers cannot. Moreover, once that is relied upon it can be spoofed. I created two experimental solutions. [1] One was found out due to browser spoofing and I now get a spam or two each week. [2] My other experiment has proven itself effective thus far, and to the best of my knowledge it is quite accessible. I agree with Patrick that solving the issue on the site isn't the best way, but only to a degree as it leaves two things up in the air. One is a problem for me in that I cannot apply filters because I need to gauge solution effectiveness. The other is exposing my email and filtering on the mail server will still make the email available to harvesters. Harvesters don't just use your email to send you spam, but they also use it as a "from" or "reply-to" on spam sent to others. It'll look like it came from you. My personal policy is to never put an email address on the web unless it's written out using plain text so it's understandable to people but not understandable to robots (Send mail to mikecherim at this domain... etc). Most obfuscation techniques I've seen either don't work well or they aren't accessible to all. As far as character encoding doesn't work (using server side tech or JS), though it is accessible. Cheers. Mike Cherim http://green-beast.com/ [1] Somewhat effective but not completely: http://mikecherim.com/experiments/php_hide_email.php [2] So far so good (knock-on-wood): http://mikecherim.com/experiments/php_email_protector.php ----- Original Message ----- From: "Or Golan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <wsg@webstandardsgroup.org> Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2007 10:33 AM Subject: Re: [WSG] Encoded mailto links Why not simply display the email address as a simple mailto only when the browser is a screen reader? On 10/17/07, Rick Lecoat <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > On 17/10/07 (14:16) Patrick said: > > >Fix your spam issues at the mail server + mail client end, not at the > >web page end, would be my advice. > > David said: > >I, long ago, gave up trying. Methods are either highly ineffective, > >or block out users you want as well as spam bots. I take the view > >that email addresses are going to end up on spam lists eventually no > >matter what I do, and just run spam filtering software. > > So the general consensus would seem to be "forgeddabowdit". > I wondered if that would be the result, but I'm surprised that there > isn't a workaround -- only because almost everything else that I thought > would be impossible some clever person has found a way to do. > > To join with Andrew Maben, however, I'd be curious to know whether > spambots decode encoded entity text, eg: > > 'user' > becomes > 'user' > > (ignore quote marks). > > > I assume that they can read them perfectly easily -- browsers can, after > all -- but it'd be good to know for sure. > Same question for screen readers. > > -- > Rick Lecoat > > > > ******************************************************************* > List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm > Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm > Help: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > ******************************************************************* > > ******************************************************************* List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm Help: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ******************************************************************* ******************************************************************* List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm Help: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *******************************************************************
